Off Duty
by CR0WE
Summary: One shot. Off duty during the war . . . . what do our heros do to pass the time? BTVSHP


Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Harry Potter. They belong to Joss Whedon and J.K. Rowling.

Beta: Fuu43

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Off Duty

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Dawn chewed on her bottom lip. She honestly had no idea how she got herself into situations like this. She'd always thought of herself as a smart girl . . . she was getting much better with not allowing her emotions to cloud her judgment. That might have been a problem for her in the past, but then again… the Summers women had always seemed to carry that particular trait. A person could see that by studying her sister Buffy, it seemed like only recently she had started to think more logically. She was more than a perfect example, she was practically a prototype. To actually plan and not just rush in with a 'take heads then ask questions' policy. It was the slayer in her, working off of instinct, jumping into trouble . . . Dawn shook her head at the stray thoughts, she had gotten totally off topic . . .she needed to focus on the task at hand.

Forcing herself to give her lip a break, Dawn looked up at her opponent across from her. His beautiful green eyes gave away nothing, but the twitching of his left eyebrow told another story. He was bluffing; then again, so was she. Dawn hoped, no she knew that she had a better hand then him, even if it was still crap. Tearing her gaze away from him, she found her eyes resting on the pot. She wanted to win, and badly. Turning her eyes, she first came upon Ron's shirt, then moved on to Hermione's socks. They were blue with an argyle design on them.

Hermione was definitely a girl who played the game only when she knew she could win. Always calculating the risks and benefits in her head, she arrived at a logical conclusion that seemed to help her beat the odds and come out on top. Unfortunately or fortunately, she didn't always have the guts to take the risks involved. Sitting next to her, Ron scratched at the back of his head. Now he was a different story, he was a great strategist. He had amazing foresight and was willing to take the risks. No wonder him and Hermione are such a great team together. Ah crap, she was getting off track again.

Harry, the great Potter himself, was a very different story. After two rounds of betting it was just the two of them left. It was his turn, and he was taking his sweet ass time. He was obviously trying to psych her out; trying to make her fold. It was not going to happen. She knew he was bluffing, and knew that he had probably realized the same thing about her. Dawn was willing to bet all of her clothing that his hand was shittier than hers. Currently she was out both of her socks and shoes, zipped sweater, and bandana, all of which belonged to Faith. Most of those items where lost during the last round, she had really thought she was going to win that round. Thus far invested in this hand was her white tank-top, and pants . . . unless Harry decided to up the ante, and then she might lose her bra too.

Harry glasses currently were in the possession of Ron (so not fair, glasses should not count) along with his socks and shoes, while Dawn had his sweater. His eyes squinted slightly whenever he focused on his cards or the other players, but he didn't complain. She was hoping to obtain his wand holster (also not fair) and shirt. She stifled a smile at the poor schmo. Harry wasn't doing so great tonight. He was losing, and badly. In fact, he hadn't won a single round all night. Hell, it was about time that he had an off game; he'd won far too many poker nights for her liking. It seemed like she was the only one who hadn't scored big yet. Tonight was her night. This time she would not be the player that left practically naked, with her hands around her in a sad attempt for modesty and warmth. She felt it in her bones, felt it in the air. Dawn was going to do this, and it was going to be awesome. She watched his eyes slant in order to look closer at his cards, and laughed silently for his lack of glasses.

In reality, Dawn knew her only decent card was a jack; it was pointless to even mention the other four. Not necessarily a winning hand, but once she was committed to the bluff, there was no going back. Her fate was sealed. She prided herself on her principles.

Harry's voice brought her out of her musings. "I match with my shorts and rise with my drawers."

Shit.

Dawn had always been stubborn. If she was going out, she'd be going out with a bang. Hell, if she had to give up her bra, why not just sit there naked?

"I match your drawers with my bra and raise you my underwear."

Harry frowned. "Come on Dawn, I have nothing left to put in the pot."

"Then fold," Dawn sternly replied, thrilled. "Or perhaps you'll just have to find something else to bet."

Harry scratched his head. "Ron, could you spot me some of your cloths?"

"No way mate. You have to get yourself out of your own mess."

"I'd fold if I were you Harry," Hermione inputted. Her voice sounded both earnest and reproving. Dawn knew that the bushy haired young woman found Harry's situation abhorrent. He had gotten himself into a huge mess.

Faith laughed. "You are so screwed. Damn Dawnie, I didn't know you were so ruthless."

Dawn just shrugged, acting as cool as possible. "What can I say?"

She resisted the urge to clap her hands.

"Okay Dawn, how about this," Harry stated after a moment of thought. "Since I am out of clothing to bet, I match your drawers with an hour long back massage."

Dawn tried to keep her face neutral while in reality she was beaming inside. Man, how many times had she returned from watch in the past, or a mission, and was so sore that she could hardly lie down? It was times like that she would kill for a massage.

"Whenever I want?" Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"Any time, you just say the word," Harry smiled.

"Deal."

This was it; time to face reality. Breathe, just breathe. She knew that he had crap, just like her.

"At the same time," Dawn said, watching Harry nod in agreement "On three. One, Two. . .three."

Dawn didn't even look at her cards as she laid them down on the table. Her eyes were focused on his cards being put to rest before her. A five, a two, a ten, a three and a jack. It was the jack of spades. She had the jack of hearts.

"I WIN!" Dawn exclaimed jumping up off of her chair. "Ha, now strip Harry. Give it here."

Harry groaned. "Damn it," he muttered. He looked sulky and pissed.

"I knew it, I knew you were bluffing!" Dawn began to collect her winnings from the center. The others around her began breaking out into laughter as Dawn held out her hand for Harry's remaining goods. Standing up, he pulled both off in one swift movement. Faith began to laugh even harder as he put his hands on his hips and stood before them in all of his naked glory. Ron covered Hermione's eyes in attempt to shield her from Harry's nude form. However, she was furiously fighting with his fingers.

At least he wasn't shy about it.

"Come on Ron!" she giggled. "I do not need parental control."

"That's right freckles," Faith grinned at Ron. "She's a big girl, let her have a peek."

"I am not letting my girlfriend look at my naked best mate," Ron huffed, his voice suddenly much higher than it usually was.

Their laughter was interrupted by the door opening. The five of them all turned their attention to the blonde entering the room.

"Come on Ron," Buffy said stepping through the doorway. "It's your turn to-"

Her mouth fell open as she started at an undressed Harry.

"You better shut your mouth B, before you start catching flies," Faith said.

"Dawn! What are you doing? Harry! Put some clothes on!" Buffy yelled.

Faith laughed. "He can't."

Her attention turned to her sister slayer. "And what the hell are you doing here? You're like six years older then them. It's practically illegal."

"Hardly. You know with the lack of government and laws in this supposed new world bliss. Relax, it's not like I'm screwing the little tyke's brains out."

"Besides," Ron added. "Wizards come of age when they turn 17."

Buffy stared at Faith for a few more moments before turning to Ron. Then, with her mouth still open, she shook her head in disbelief, or perhaps frustration . . . but most likely both.

"You know what. Never mind. The next time Voldemort attacks you, you can all fight him naked," she said. "And Ron, you have watch with Xander now."

And with that she stormed in the other direction just as Bill Weasley stuck his head into the room.

"You guys are playing without me? Again!" he cried. "Why do you always have to play when I'm on watch? Can't you for once wait for me to be done?"

"Oh lay off it Bill," Ron said. "No one here wants to see you in your birthday suit."

Faith grinned. "Speak for yourself."

"Ew. I'll see you guys later," he handed Harry's glasses to Hermione. "Can you put these in our room?"

Hermione nodded as Harry exclaimed, "But I need those to see!"

"Well, maybe you'll learn your lesson not to bet away such important items," Hermione replied. Knowing her, later Harry would find them in his bed- at least before he had to go on watch. Lucky guy.

Tossing on his winning of Faith's shirt, Ron headed out the door.

"Um, Dawn," Harry meekly said. "Can I have something to at least wear back to my room?"

"No you may not. The rules are the same as they have always been. You do not get your lost items back for three more days."

"But I need my wand holster," Harry pestered.

"I think that Hermione is right about learning a lesson," she replied as Harry groaned. "I'll tell you what; you can trade your holster for another hour of massaging pleasure."

"Fine." Then, he said something too low for her to hear. It definitely wasn't a compliment.

Dawn handed Harry his holster back. She could be a gracious winner.

"You can't expect me to walk all the way through camp naked. Have a heart Dawn."

"No," she smiled glibly. "Have a nice stroll."


End file.
